Dear Friends,

Hello for now. And fortunately for you, it will soon be time to say farewell.

For yes, while I EAGERLY anticipate my next two months of Interim ministry with you (and feel your warmth towards me), I am now likewise very much looking forward to passing the pastoral baton to my good colleague, the Rev. Dennis Bailey, whom you have called by a resounding vote to be the next settled Pastor of Centre Church.

In my few weeks among you so far, I have been highly impressed by the care and clear commitment that you bring to your life together in this church. And now, come October, with a fine new Pastor on board, what promises to be a superb fresh leg of your ongoing "journey of faith" is set to begin.

Often, when I interview for Interim positions, I invoke the image of the "helmsman" to describe what I understand my particular role to be. And soon now, you will have a fine new pastoral helmsman on board here in Lynnfield. But never forget that YOU comprise the crew, that the cargo is Christ’s, and the call is ever onward.

In that light, may we prepare together in August and September for you to be ready to undertake, in good faith and enthusiastic spirit, this exciting new leg of your centuries-long Centre-Church journey.

Rand Peabody
Interim Pastor

IN THE CHAPEL - 9:00 a.m.

July 30, 2006 – Rand Peabody

"‘What Thou Lovest Well…’"

Book of Ecclesiastes

August 6, 2006

Dayl Hufford Preaching

August 13, 2006 – Rand Peabody

Sacrament of Holy Communion

"Reservoirs for Living Water"

Isaiah 44:1-4 John 7:37-39a

August 20, 2006 – Rand Peabody

"A Pilgrimage and a Labyrinth"

Isaiah 55:6-9 II Corinthians 5:20 & 6:1-2

August 27, 2006

Rand Peabody and Seavey Bowdoin

A Sermon on the Book of Job

From the Search Committee

With great joy, we write that the Rev. Dr. Dennis Bailey will become the new settled pastor of Centre Church. We are grateful to the 119 people who attended worship and the meeting following the service on Sunday, July 23, to vote on his candidacy.  We understand, of course, that many folks had plans that could not be changed, but we are pleased that so many were able to be present on this important day in the life of our church.

We are also deeply grateful to Rev. Bailey, for the ways he responded to us during this search process. Dennis has been warm, candid, thoughtful, and caring throughout, all qualities that we feel sure will serve our church well.  Rev. Bailey also brings with him great experience. Currently, he is senior pastor at First Congregational Church in Billerica, where he has served since January 1990. Before this, he served for more than 15 years as senior pastor at Central Congregational Church in Jamaica Plain.

In addition, Rev. Bailey has fine educational credentials -- a BA from the University of Maryland, and both a Master of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry from Andover Newton Theological School. Most importantly, we feel confident that Rev. Bailey will be a great fit for our church.   As a man of deep personal faith, leading a meaningful worship service is very important to him.  He is also dedicated to providing pastoral care to anyone in need.    As many of you have already witnessed, Dennis enjoys people of all ages. He likes working with children and wants to support Christian Ed efforts for both young people and adults.

Rev. Bailey is as excited to be coming here as we are to be welcoming him! We expect him to join us in October.  Soon we will be able to announce his exact arrival date and plans for his installation as Senior Pastor at Centre Church.  In the meantime, please contact Debbie Cotting, Phil Johnson, or any member of the search team, if you have questions.

Yours in Faith,
The Pastor Search Committee
Debbie Cotting, Ann Decker, Joe Gehret, George Hayden, Betty Hayter, Chris Lambe, Jeff Langill, Sandi Watson

Interim Pastor Summer Schedule

Rand Peabody will typically be in the office on Tuesday through Thursday mornings from 10 a.m. to noon during the summer. He will also be available by appointment after the Fellowship Hour on Sundays, and at other times as arranged. He may be contacted by phone through the church office, or by email at pastor@centre-church.org. In the event of urgencies or emergencies, Rand’s home number is (781) 391-6183.

Thursday Morning Scripture Study

Interim Pastor Rand Peabody is offering a series of Thursday Morning Scripture Seminars, each running from 10:30 to 11:45 a.m. The inaugural sessions in July drew as many as ten people at a time to study a selection of "significant and favorite Psalms."

Now, in August, the focus will shift to the Wisdom Literature of the Bible: to the thorny little book of Ecclesiastes, the rapturous Song of Songs, the wrenching spiritual odyssey of Job, and the well-loved aphorisms of the Proverbs.

Rand urges everyone who is interested and available to "come stretch your knowledge and appreciation of the Bible’s treasure-store of sacred writings." The Seminar will convene in the Pastor’s Office every Thursday this month, EXCEPT for the 10^th.

From the Mailbox

Dear Friends, Thank you so much for helping to make Emily’s Memorial Service such a wonderful experience. We felt that after the service people really knew Emily and understood that she was a special person that we all loved deeply.

A very special thank you to all the ladies who put on the delicious dessert table in Richards Hall. The table looked beautiful and the treats were so yummy and obviously created with such love and caring.

I now see why Centre Church was such an important part of Emily’s life. It is filled with wonderful, caring people!

With gratitude, Joan and Hal Jordan

New York City Mission Trip

Many thanks to everyone who supported the fundraising efforts of our youth group Mission Trip to New York City. On June 25, seventeen youth and three adults left Lynnfield ready to start in our mission to serve others. In Framingham, we joined together with youth groups from Stoughton and Melrose, making a group total of 40.

When we arrived in New York, we were divided into smaller groups and given assignments throughout the city - all arranged through Youth Services Opportunities Project (YSOP), a non-profit Quaker organization committed to helping young people make a difference in the lives of others. We spent our 5 days together not only serving meals at soup kitchens but also sorting clothing at the Navy shipyard and working at a furniture bank.

We were able to experience serving meals at a variety of venues such as the Jewish Synagogue where a small group of church volunteers provide a meal to 60-70 visitors once each week, to a large church where over 40 volunteers provide lunch each day of the week to over 1,000 guests. We learned that in New York, it is not only the homeless who are in need of a hot meal, but also the working poor.

In September, we will be hosting a dinner and giving a presentation of the trip. We would like to say thank you and share our mission experience with all those that gave their support.

Andrew Decker, Ryan Batchelder, A.J. Johnson, Nick Forgione, Alex MacEachern, Roger Potter Furey, Sean Morrissey, Will Vaughan, Katie Morrissey, Alyssa Langill, Ariel Bjorkman, Lisa Gerbick, Elyssa Bjorkman, Jessica Ladd, Jeff Lambe, Wil Russell and Matthew Perry. Leaders: Barbara and Jeff Langill and Randy Russell.

News From Around the Parish

Our love and sympathy are extended to the family and friends of Emily Jordan whose memorial service was held at Centre Church on July 8.

We extend our love and prayers to Irene Seaboyer and her family following the death of her husband, Howard in November. A memorial service was held on July 14.

Our love and prayers go out to Jeff and Marcia Stevens and their family upon the death of Jeff’s mother, Pauline. A family service was held on July 23.

A memorial service for Floyd Heglund will be held on Tuesday, August 15 at 10:30 a.m. in the sanctuary.

Our congratulations to Bob and Myrna Shorey who celebrated their 50^th Wedding Anniversary recently.

Missions Pantry

(to the left as you enter from Summer Street)

Open from 9-12 and ready to receive:

Redeemable Bottles and Cans.

These are turned in for money to benefit our Bread and Roses monthly meal preparation.

Linens & Small Housewares

These are used by residents of Bridge House in Lynn who are moving into their own housing.

Aluminum Can Pull Tabs.

These are recycled to raise money to purchase equipment for the Shriners’ Hospital for Children.

Used Cell Phones: (With charger & numbers deleted). For emergency use by clients of HAWC in Salem, MA

Used Eyeglasses. All types are welcome.

Non-Perishable Food for Haven from Hunger in Peabody.

Knitted Squares for the Peabody Red Cross.

Looking Ahead: In September we will be collecting school supplies for a local food pantry/shelter.

In addition, a donation of $225.00 will ensure that our Bread and Roses feeding program is funded for another month.

OUR OPPORTUNITIES

Our thoughts and prayers are with former member Mal Smith at Lakes Region Hospital, Laconia, NH; Hal Holappa at the Veterans’ Hospital, 200 Springs Rd., Bedford, 01730; Mildred Lisi at SunBridge, 134 North St., N. Reading, 01864; Catherine Newman at Oosterman’s, 93 Laurel St., Melrose, 02176; Jack Turner, at Arnold House, 490 William St., Stoneham, 02180. We also remember in our prayers, Dana Robinson in Kuwait and Dana’s cousin Michael Propeck in Iraq.

Church Office Schedule

Summer Office Hours of 9 am – 12 noon are in effect.

The next issue of Tower Notes will be August 28.